The Saint Vincent tournante in Burgundy is nearly upon us
once more, and will take place on the 24th and 25th January 2015.
This year we'll be celebrating 900 years of the Cistercian monks'
presence in the Burgundy vineyards! Over the course of history,
wine and religion have often been closely linked. Did you know that
there are more than 30 Saints, other than Vincent, who watch over
the vines and the winemakers? Vernier, Martin and the others ...
who are?

Throughout the year, different Saints are called upon and feted
at critical moments in the vine's growth cycle. For example,
Saint Morand de Cluny, celebrated on the 3rd June, notably in
Burgundy, Champagne and Alsace, protects the vines from late
frosts, and helps ensure a good flowering season. It became
legend when his priory was short of wine one day for his guests,
and so he made the sign of a cross on a barrel which immediately
filled up with wine! The Saint Vincent marks the end of the
winter rest of the vines, even if nowadays, the whims of the
weather cause us to sometimes question the tradition.

The great diversity of the Patron Saints hails from the religious
traditions and books that recount the life of martyrs, where wine
is often used to signify spilt blood. But in the more down to
earth cases, the Saints can often be traced back to the origins
of winemaking in certain regions. It was Saint Martin, for
example, that is said to have introduced vines in the Loire
Valley in the 4th century, and that his donkey discovered the
benefits of pruning. At the Marmoutier Abbey near Tours, the
brave beast munched upon a few vine branches. The following
harvest, the monks noted that despite being fewer, the grapes
were much fatter, and of a much better quality on the vines that
had nourished the donkey.

Another well known figure to winemakers is Saint Vernier, the
French adaptation of the German Saint Werner. He was assassinated
in 1287 and his body found on Good Friday. He was considered a
martyr, and his cult appeared in the 16th century in Lorraine and
the Franche-Comté regions of France as part of the German Saint
Empire. In Auvergne, he is known as the Saint Verny and he was
honoured until the 19th century. But he was unable to do anything
to protect the vines from the phylloxera, and the angry
winemakers threw statues of him in the Allier forest or in the
village fountains. It's not always easy being a Saint!

In the 20th century, the Saint Vincent following has become the
most widespread. Saint Vincent, the Deacon and Bishop of
Saragossa, died under torture in 542. His story says that during
the 542 siege of Saragossa, Childebert, the King of France, and
Clotaire, the King of Soissons, were touched with pity towards
the inhabitants who had formed a procession behind the relics of
Saint Vincent. They exchanged the relics for a lifting of the
siege. The relics were moved to Paris and laid in the
Sainte-Croix-Saint-Vincent Abbey, which has now become
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where the monks cultivated vines. And a
patron Saint is born! Since 1938, he is honoured once a year by
the knights of the Tastevin in Burgundy.

Many other traditions remain to this day. For example on the 15th
August, Assumption Day, the first fruit from the vines are
offered to the Virgin Mary. Vine, wine and the Saints are
intimately linked, but is not the only example of gastronomic
patronage. To name but a few, Saint André the Patron Saint of
fishermen and fish, Saint Antoine du Désert, the Patron of
charcuterie and pig farmers, and Saint Honoré, the Patron of
bakers, pastry cooks and confectioners.